


Something Wicked this Way Comes

by Glaire_Cordon



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Carlos is a Dork, Cecil Is Not Described, Cecil and his daughter both have purple eyes and tattoos, Cecil is Mostly Human, Cecil speaks English, Cecil's daughter that he doesn't know he has, I made Carlos speak 4 languages English Spanish German and Japanese, I'm Sorry, M/M, Omnipotence Cecil, POV Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), POV Cecil, POV Female Character, Use own personal head canons for characters, again i'm sorry for all these tags, myth lore, the major character death may or may not be temporary, these are a lot of tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:07:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1733894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glaire_Cordon/pseuds/Glaire_Cordon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, a girl of about 18 comes to Night Vale. She seems normal, but then she begins looking around, asking questions. What does she want? Why is she here? Why does she wear long-sleeves in the desert heat, carrying a backpack and a staff? And what is her obsession with Cecil?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Night Vale--Cecil

**Author's Note:**

> I dedicate this work to both my Senior and my girlfriend. I love you and miss you

"Good night, Night Vale. Good night" I waited until I heard the outro music playing before I took off my headphones. Setting them down on my soundboard, I picked up my briefcase and placed my notes from the day inside, followed by a not-pen, notepad and a recording device. I re-rolled my sleeves and exited the sound booth. This day had been full of another round of problems from StrexCorp, but thankfully I had not been removed from my radio station. 

I stopped by the break room, where Intern Jeremy was sound asleep on the couch. Chuckling, I moved over and gently shook him awake. "Hm, wha?" "Take the next few days off, Jeremy. You need some good rest. If Daniel has a problem with it, I can deal with him." The young intern smiled and nodded. "Thanks Mr. Palmer," He slipped from the room and I poured a pick-me-up cup of coffee. Only to discover it was stone cold. "Ew, why does cold coffee even exist!?" I cried as I poured the rest down the drain. Shaking my head, I left the station. 

 

"Cecil! What are you doing here?" "I'm here to rescue my boyfriend, have you seen him?" Rochelle nodded and lead me to a back part of the lab. "Carlos? Carlos! CARLOS!" My scientist jumped. "What?!" Instead of answering Rochelle let me by. Carlos was sitting at a microscope, notes all over the desk. His perfect hair in a ponytail, and his lab coat pristine, he was wearing a dress shirt and slacks, even a tie! "Must have been a 'no experiment day' for Mr. Scientist. You look great!" He smiled, but I knew he was blushing. After this long, I knew by the look on his face when he was even though his skin hid the change in color. I leaned against his desk and crossed my arms loosely. He turned to me, standing. "I am done for the day. And was planning on taking you out, but Gino's in closed for renovations." I made a face and he laughed. He reached out, grabbed my arms and pulled me to him, kissing me gently. I smiled and while was tempted to take things further, I knew he wouldn't go for that here. He broke away and smiled. 

 

"What if we did Big Rico's instead? That way we can get our mandated weekly slice done." I nodded and let myself be lead from the room. 

 

Sitting across from each other in a booth, Carlos and I were sharing a pizza when the local vampire, Scoutmaster Earl Harlan, came in. He looked around and then made a beeline straight for me. "Cecil, can I talk to you for a minute?" He completely ignored Carlos. "Why, need me to talk another youngling out of trying to kill you again?" Carlos chuckled, and tried to cover it up by coughing. Harlan glared at me, hissing, "No, I need permission to use the portal in the station. I have some I need to turn. As hypnotic as your voice is, I don't need its services any longer." Carlos shot him a glare and looked about ready to attack. I smiled coldly. "No, you do not have my permission to use the station portal. You don't have permission to even come to the station again." Earl's eyes got wide, then he turned on his heel and left. I shook my head and went back to eating my pizza. 

 

I had figured that this would be a normal night in Night Vale. But of course, the powers that be had to prove me wrong. As Carlos and I were getting ready to leave, there was a commotion out front of the pizza place. We heard shouting and screaming, and some swearing in Unmodified Sumerian. Carlos paid and we left, to see two teens arguing in English. 

 

"I don't care, Miguel, you were not supposed to follow me here! Go back home!" "Why? Your mom asked me to-! "I don't care that mom asked you to look out for me! She disappeared off of the face of the Earth as far as I can tell! She should have stayed if she wanted to have a say in my life. There's a bus leaving in an hour. You better be on it, or I will send you home in a wooden box!"The boy walked away then and I called out the girl, "Hey! What's your name? And welcome to Night Vale!" She jogged over."My name is Alec Gomez," "Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking."

"I was told my father is here in Night Vale, so I came to find him."


	2. I Did Not Sign Up For This--Alec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should add that each chapter will change POV. Also, when I want someone to speak in another language, I will italicize it within its quotes. Thanks for reading!

"My name is Alec Gomez and I am here to find my father." The two men looked at me and the one with the deep voice, it sounds like a radio voice, said, "Well, how do you know he's here in Night Vale?" His friend, with his hair in a ponytail and wearing a lab coat, nodded in agreement. "That's one thing my mother actually bothered to tell me before she left." That and that I have his eyes. But no one will ever see my eyes. Never, because after awhile I saw that Mamá would flinch when I would make eye contact and when asked about it, she sighed, "Seeing your father's eyes looking at me makes me sad." So, when I was old enough, I invested in colored contacts. Now, my eyes look green instead of purple. I realized the two men were talking to me again.

"Well, I'm Cecil Palmer, the Voice of Night Vale and this is my boyfriend, Dr. Carlos Saber. He's the Scientist that tries to explain what goes on here in our little burgh." _Palmer._  The name sent bells off in my head.  _Palmer._  I shook my head to clear it and stuck out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you." I shook hands with the two men and smiled. 

"Alec, why are you called Alec? I don't mean to be rude, but I've always have heard it as a boy's name." Carlos said. I chuckled. "When I was younger, I had a time period where I was such a Tom-boy, my friends dubbed me Alec and it stuck. My name is Alexandria, but I like Alec a lot better." Cecil smiled and Carlos just shrugged. I ran back over to where my stuff was and picked up my backpack and walking stick, before returning to the happy couple. I tugged down my shirt sleeves, making sure my arms were covered all the way to the wrist. No point in showing off my arms, nope. 

Cecil was talking about something that had happened earlier that day (Note-to-self: Figure out what StrexCorp is) and then the subject of needing an extra intern came up. Which is when I remembered I needed a place to stay. And a job. Carlos was asking Cecil what happened to his current intern. "I gave him a few days off; he's been up for the past four days and he needs to rest. But, Daniel is getting on me about 'losing man power and hours', so I said I'd get another intern to help out." " _Can I help?_ " I said, the German slipping past my lips before I could stop it. Cecil looked confused, but before I could translate, Carlos barked " _No. No, that is a bad idea. The mortality rate of the interns at NVCR is ridiculously high."_  I raised my eyebrows. " _What do you mean, 'mortality rate'? It's a radio station, not a police force."  "The interns are often sent on errands that Cecil can't do while he is broadcasting, and more often than not they don't come back. The only one that is still alive is Dana, but she has been on a different plane of existence for over a year. I would not recommend working there."_ Cecil looked back and forth between Carlos and I, confusion written across his face. "You don't speak German, Cecil?" He shook his head. I quickly apologized.

"No no no, don't worry! Most of Carlos' team of scientists know German and sometimes they speak it to each other. I believe it and English are the only common languages between them. Other than that, they speak almost twenty different languages!" He chuckled and I shot Carlos a look. He shrugged. "Regardless of what you've told me, Carlos, I still need a job. And it sounds like NVCR needs an intern. Besides, I can take care of myself. I've been doing it since I was 13." Cecil gasped and Carlos' eyes got big. 

"13!? Who leaves their child when they are only 13??" Cecil cried. "My mother apparently." I shifted my backpack on my shoulders and sighed. "Next step, finding a place to stay for the night." Cecil and Carlos exchanged a look and then Cecil was asking me if I'd like to stay with them until I found an apartment to stay in. Shocked, I agreed, thanking them over and over.

 

 

After a week on the job, I knew why Carlos was worried about me being an intern. Jeremy was MIA, having disappeared two days ago and I was currently being chased by some feral...well, quite frankly, I didn't know what they were. All I know is I do not want to get caught by them. Thanking my lucky stars I played soccer and could run for many miles, eventually getting to the lab where Carlos worked. I stopped and pounded on the door. " _Help me!_ " I shouted in German, looking back as the things started gaining on me. " _Help me!_ " I shouted again, feeling panic start to ebb its way into my veins.  _Well, looks like I'm fighting my way out of this._ Just as the things reached me, they vanished. I stood there, confused, shrugged and jogged back to the station. I ran into Daniel and was handed a report that I was to take to Cecil. He looked at me, a cold smile on his face. I curled my lip in response, and stalked to the sound booth.

 

"Oh, listeners, our new intern Alec has just handed me a report...Oh. From StrexCorp. Ahem." _Sorry!_ I mouthed at him and he waved me off, handing me his empty coffee cup, gesturing to bring him some more. I walked to the break room and poured him some more coffee, adding two things of sugar and one thing of cream. I slipped back into his booth and handed it to him. He smiled as a thank you and I silently left. Lauren Mallard was in the break room when I returned, a copy of  _How to be a Night Vale Community Radio Intern: Fifth Edition_ in hand. She smiled and I felt the hair on the back on my neck raise. This woman was not a nice woman. My instincts were telling me to run, more so than when I was earlier that day. 

 

"Welcome to the family, Alec! I hope you'll be with us for awhile. I see you already have your intern guide so that's good. I hope you've prayed to the Smiling God today!" With that, she left and took the dark feeling with her. I shuddered and sat down at the table, pulling a notebook, a not-pen (thank you Carlos) and highlighter from my backpack and began reading. 

 

"Alec, broadcast is over. We can go home now." I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder. I looked over and saw Cecil. "Oh, sorry Cecil, I guess I zoned out after awhile." He smiled a small smile and I saw the hint of a bruise under his left eye. "Cecil, did someone hurt you?" He held up a finger to his lips, took my hand, shoved my things into my bag and lead me from the station. When we got outside, Cecil looked at me, his vibrantly purple eyes boring into mine. 

 

"This happens. Strex is not nice. And don't pray to their Smiling God." I shook my head and followed Cecil to his car, climbing in after him and heading home.

 

 

I occurred to me after I had gone to bed that Cecil had purple eyes....like me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated! :D


	3. My Boyfriend Is Not Gonna Like This--Carlos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone who reads this enjoys reading it as much as I have had writing it! :)

When I awoke that morning, I could feel that something was off. I looked at the clock (which said it was 11AM) and shook my head. My alarm clock wouldn't have the answers to my questions. I sat up and the blanket fell off the bed. I looked over to Cecil's side of the bed and saw it was empty. That was odd- Cecil was never up before me. I got up, pulled on a pair of sweatpants and walked down to the kitchen. To find Cecil asleep with his head on the table and Alec curled up on the counter, papers all over the place. I walked over to Ceec and gently shook him awake. "Ceec? Wake up hon." He sat up and barked out something half asleep, and woke up Alec. Who promptly fell off the counter and let out a pained yelp. I hurried over and help her up. 

 

"I'm fine Carlos, just got a little startled. But thank you." I nodded and went to turn on the coffee pot. Cecil came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Morning hon," I said, kissing his cheek. I felt a smile form on his face, then heard grumbling in the background. "'Cuse me while I go shower to wake up. Coffee isn't gonna cut it this morning," Alec slipped from the room. 

 

When the coffee was done, I poured a cup for Cecil and I, while putting the pot back on the maker so it stayed warm for Alec. "Oh, Alec likes iced coffee." So I took the pot back off, poured some into a class with ice and stuck it in the fridge. "Why were you two out here and seemingly passed out?" Cecil gulped down his first cup and poured himself another. "I got a call from management that there was a glowing off in Radon Canyon, so I woke Alec up and took her with me. This was at like 2 AM and the poor girl had gone to bed at midnight, working on something for Daniel. We went and recorded what we saw, then more news started coming in. At 5 I called it quits until we could form actual stories from the information we had gotten and we both just kind of fell asleep. Why she decided the counter was the best place to sleep is beyond me." I shook my head and sipped my coffee.

 

Alec came down about twenty minutes later, showered, make up on, glasses on and she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under her intern shirt. I worried about her, but she was holding her own. I had never seen her wear glasses before though. "Coffee's in the fridge." Cecil said and she walked over and took a long drink from her iced drink. "Ah...that hits the spot. Thanks guys." We both nodded. I noticed Alec's eyes looked different, but didn't say anything. It could be her glasses. 

"Are you ready Alec?" Cecil asked, standing up. "Let me go put my contacts in first." She drained her glasses, put it in the sink and ran back to her room. When she came back, her eyes were the normal green they always were. 

 

 

I heard Cecil's show in the background while I was working. Dave had brought in some cacti that had been glowing and apparently that was the cause of the glowing Cecil and Alec had checked on earlier. My phone suddenly beeped.

_**Carlos, I am sending Alec your way. Poor girl needs a couch to sleep on, she's fallen asleep several times.**  _I stood up and walked to the door of the lab, just as Alec showed up. She looked dead on her feet and she swayed, falling into me. I caught her and picked her up and carried her to the couch in the apartment above the lab, laying her on the couch and covered her with the blanket there. She was already asleep. I felt a soft bloom of fatherly affection fill my chest as I watched her relax, the lines on her face smoothing and she looked younger in sleep that while awake. I sat down and kept an eye on her, pulling out my laptop and working on some charts.

 

A couple hours later, I heard a small sound behind me. "'Arlos?" I looked over my shoulder and saw green eyes looking at me. "Can you hand me my backpack? I need to take my contacts out. They are bugging me." I nodded and brought her bag to her, watching her open it and remove her contacts. When she looked up at me, I did a double take. 

"Alec....you have purple eyes...." She looked down and nodded. "I wasn't completely honest with you and Cecil when I met you last month. I know how my father is..." She looked up and me and pieces clicked into place. "Cecil's your father, isn't he?" She nodded and I noticed a tear run down her face. I softly wiped it away. "Why didn't you tell us?"

 

"Because my mother told me that my father had ran out on her after she told him she was pregnant. Well, I found out that Cecil was quite a party goer in college. I found my mother's diary from her college years. She never burned it like I do mine. I read it and....she fell into lust with Cecil the first day of college and she made it her life goal to have sex with him, even if it meant she got pregnant. She acted like she wasn't into anyone at school, just so she could get close to Cecil. Finally, their senior year, she got a hold of some stuff that made Cecil black out that night. She never told him what happened and no one really know what happened. All they know is a month after that, after graduation, she seemed to disappear off the face of the planet. 

I hated living with her. I knew the moment I looked at her and she flinched and told me she didn't like seeing my father's eyes looking back at her, I knew there was more to this story than what I had been told. When I started asking questions, she suddenly vanished out of my life. She asked my best friend, the boy who followed me here to keep an eye on me so I wouldn't get into trouble. Well, I didn't get into trouble, but that was because I had to take care of myself. My prediction is that she found a rich man who didn't want a woman who had a kid and instead of keeping me she ran off with him.  But Carlos, you have to promise me something: Don't tell him." "Why not? Don't you want him to know?"She nodded. "I will tell him when it is time."

 

It was hard, not telling Cecil Alec was his. I wanted to, but I told Alec I would not. All I knew was the news would not go over well when she tells him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Alec's mother is a crappy mom and Carlos now knows his boyfriend has a kid. That even Cecil didn't know he had! Kudos and comments welcome!


	4. The Night is Young, the Moon is Full and My Boyfriend is a What Now?--Cecil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello! I am going to say that yes I have myth lore tagged, because I want people to be aware of it, but it's only a small part of this story. For right now anyways. Also, in this I've made Cecil and Alec's tattoos a thing that comes genetically. Cecil's comes after episode 33 (no spoilers) and Alec gets hers around 13, around the time her Mom leaves. Just facts so y'all don't get confused.

"Now remember listeners, there are werewolves about, so don't go out unless it's an emergency. I myself am only going to go home. Carlos, I hope you are listening, come straight home!" I rolled my eyes at the fact that I even had to tell him that, especially over public radio. I signed off for the night and got a text from Alec. 

 

     _Cecil, can I get a lift home? I'm still at the college from delivering the forms Mr. Roboto had me take and I heard your warning about the werewolves._   I smiled at the nick-name she had given Daniel not long after she started working here and discovered that Daniel was a robot. She had a fit about it, making my night a lot better after being forced to do an HR round with my Strex employers, saying things like "How can they make a robot that does this stuff, it must be a trapped soul, that make more sense than anything, and that poor soul. I should see if I can free that soul! Then we'll see how Mr. Roboto works!" I chuckled at the memory and sent her a quick "yes", before exiting the station. I tuned into the local numbers station, WZZZ, and hear the familiar woman's voice reciting off numbers in a monotone, broken every now and then by a chime. 

 

I pulled into the parking lot of the college and Alec came sprinting out, as the full moon rose over head. I saw red eyes in the shrubs and new exactly why she was sprinting like her life depended on it. I leaned over, and opened the passenger side of the car, as she jumped in. "Thanks-Cecil...you're the-best." She panted and I raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to be alright?" She nodded. "I am an endurance runner, not a sprinter. That's why I could play soccer so well in high school." I looked at her for a long moment, then pulled out of the college's lot. After a couple minutes, she was breathing like a normal person again. I saw her looking out the windows of the car. "Alec, may I ask how you have survived so long as an intern? It's been a couple of months and you're still alive," _And still haven't worn anything other than long sleeves, what the hell, it's like 100 degrees everyday out, how do you not overheat?_ But I didn't ask that question, because if nothing else I was polite. Alec considered my question before answering.

 

"I guess cause I have magic on my side." I almost ran a stop sign, so caught off-guard by her statement, the way she said it, it wasn't like it was new....no, like she had grown up with it. "One of the few things I got from my mother's side of the family. I discovered it when I was...4 and Mamá immediately made us move to her mother's place. I do not acknowledge anyone on my mother's side for reasons that will become clear in a minute. As it turned out, no one in my family had shown the signs of magic I was giving off. I was-" She caught her self, coughed and started again. "I  _am_ a warlock, Cecil. I possess and use some of the most dark magic on this planet. But I don't use it for bad things! I taught myself how to use it like a mage would use it. It just looks odd. Anyways, Mamá and that side of the family used my power...for...things. Really horrible things. I'd rather face a whole Library full of Night Vale Librarians than go through that again. That's how I've survived so far." She looked at me, and in the dark her eyes didn't look green....but then she blinked and everything was back to normal. I smiled at her and pulled into the driveway at the house we all three lived in. However...

 

"Shouldn't Carlos be back by now? I know he's been having some late nights, but it's almost 11..." Alec trailed off and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. I threw the car back into reverse and Alec started punching numbers into her cell phone. "Rochelle? It's Alec, have you seen Carlos? He left 3 hours ago!? No he isn't home, that's why I am calling!" I heard some angry German from Rochelle. Alec responded in the same then hung up, angry. "They took a vote on who should go investigate the werewolves and-" "Carlos decided to go instead of waiting for the vote." "Or waiting until it was not the full moon." Alec pulled out a flashlight and a book from her backpack. She clicked it on and started flipping through pages. "What are you looking for?" "A simple tracking spell, one I can cast without the ritual. I think we need to find him as soon as possible, before he gets bitten and turned into a werewolf and the ritual takes ten minutes." I shuddered and nodded in agreement. 

 

"Found it!" She said about five minutes later. She started mumbling under her breath, the words seeming to both slide and graze over my ears. I shivered. A ball of purple/blue light suddenly appeared and Alec jumped. "So that's what it looks like." The ball floated over to me and I slammed on the brakes. "Alec...what is that." I knew what it was, I wanted to know if she knew what it was. "It's supposed to be the tracking thing, but I feel like I got the wrong thing." "You did. This is for daemons, not for humans. Can you please send it away?" It suddenly popped out of existence. 

 

"Sorry!" She said and flipped through her book again. "You never mentioned you were a daemon, Cecil." She said, her eyes on the book. "I think it's where my Voice came from." Alec just glanced at me then went back to her book. She spoke again, a different language than the last time and this time a ball of white light appeared. It flew out the window and I turned up rock trying to keep up.  _We're coming_ Carlos.

 

 

We drove for a long time. One hour became two, two three, until- "There! The truck from the lab!" I pulled up next to it. The ball of light was floating over it then popped out of existence. Alec and I scrambled out of the car, and there on the ground was Carlos. He was bloody and cut up, lab coat ripped and there were claw marks on his arms and legs.Alec ran over to him and started checking him over. I couldn't come any closer than I was. "He is alive Cecil. But we need to get him home so I can see what is actually going on here. I can't get a good read out here." I nodded and helped her move him to the car. She located the keys to the truck and climbed in it, heading back to town. I looked at my watch. It was 2 in the morning and none of us had been home. Knowing it would be 5 by the time I got home, I climbed into the car and speed off. 

 

 

                                                                                            ----------------------------------------------------------------

"He will live. But he won't be the same. Well, that is a little misleading." "The point Alec?" She sighed. It was 7 AM, and Alec and I were still up. Once we got home, we had brought Carlos in and Alec got straight to work on him. I had made three pots of coffee and we had just emptied the most recent one. "He's....he's a werewolf now Cecil. He got bit." 

 

Fuck. 


	5. I Meet Strex. Again--Alec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Alec gets re-educated by StrexCorp and this chapter is gonna get graphic. TW: needles, blood, gore

I shook my head as I entered the house, managing to make it to the kitchen before blacking out.

 

**_SIX HOURS_ _EARLIER_**  

 

"Miss Gomez, you aren't going into the station today." I was stopped by Lauren Mallard. "W-why not, Ms. Mallard?" Every instinct in me screaming  _run_. "Um...does Mr. Palmer know about this?" She smiled, making me want to run more. "Did he...approve it? Cause he's my-" "He is your immediate boss, but I am the one that signs your paycheck. Come with me." I swallowed and followed her to a car with tinted windows. As I was about to enter, I felt something prick my neck and I passed out.

                      ----------------------------------------------

When I came to, I was in a room with no windows. I was strapped to a chair, my ankles also strapped down. One single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling. I shivered, the air cold. My arms were....bare....I was only in my tank top that I had put on under my thin material made shirt to wear under my NVCR Intern shirt. My tattoos were visible, the ones I tried so hard to hide. The deep purple, almost black lines that started at my mid-forearm and ended on my shoulder blades. The ones that came around the time Mamá left. The ones Mamá said didn't exist, the ones that I was told would make me the most powerful warlock ever, the ones that meant I was the one to make my family come back from being the most hated people in my hometown, the ones that meant I would never be free, the ones that made my friends stare, the ones that caused rumors, the ones that made--

" _WHY AM I HERE!?"_  I shrieked at the room, a language that I had never been able to identify by any name but always served me well. A door opened and in stepped..."Carlos!?" The man laughed, sounding like knives against glass. Not Carlos. "No, I am not Carlos. I am...well, I am of the family Strex. And that is all you need to know. I own the Night Vale-" "Radio station and most of the town, yeah I know. I have lived here for a few months and I work at the station." He smiled, a lazy smiled that made my skin crawl. 

"I bet every instinct in you is telling you to run, run, get away." I swallowed hard, feeling my magic buzzing through me. "Well, thanks to one of my brothers, you can't use that beautiful magic you possess." My head snapped up. "You did what!?" He laughed again and I flinched. His eyes were dark, and looking into them made me feel as though I was falling into the depths of Hell. I licked my lips and swallowed, forcing myself to hold his gaze, trying to make him break first. I failed and looked away. 

"Oh what fun we are going to have." I felt goosebumps appear on my skin and looked over to see him pick up a needle. He stuck it into a vial and extracted some liquid from inside. He set the vial back down and came over and shoved it into a vein in my arm. I let out a yelp as the burning fluid entered my bloodstream. it coursed through me, burning, scorching, setting me aflame. Tears slid from my eyes and I looked at him, vision blurry. "What the hell is this stuff!?" I chocked out, feeling my throat begin to constrict. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, something my brother cooked up. He is head of the re-education here at Strex. Now," he picked up a chair that had been in my blind spot and set it in front of me. "I need you to repeat after me: I believe in the Smiling God and He is my protector." I shook my head, biting my lip. "It's very easy, Miss Palmer." My head snapped up at that. "Oh yes, we know you are Cecil Palmer's daughter, but we won't tell him, because, well, then he would be coming after you, and that isn't very productive now is it? C'mon, say it." 

"I believe...in...t-t-the S-s-smiling....no." He looked like I had slapped him. "No? I wouldn't do that if I were you." I looked at the floor. "Very well, looks like we're going this the hard way.

 

        ------------------------------

Pain, the floor slick with blood, is that mine, ribs hurt, everything hurts, Carlos' hands, no not Carlos, Strex Carlos, Cecil, Daddy save me, please, I am going to die here and you won't ever know, Carlos may tell you, white hot pain, why, I don't wanna say it, please stop, nonono, crying, burning, branding, what are you doing to me, I am not a toy, I break, oh wait I guess you know that, ow, please stop, sharp cutting pain, no, why, fuck, help someone, please, don't, it won't make me say it, stop, I AM NOT, NO, I WON'T-- "I BELIEVE IN A SMILING GOD AND HE WILL PROTECT ME!!"

 

       ----------------------------

I was thrown out of the car, in front of the house, lights still on, my arms bared, tattoos visible, but I didn't care anymore, pain. I walked into the house and made it to the kitchen, blinked and I was being stared down at by Cecil and Carlos, concern written on their faces. "Alec..." I swallow and set myself into a coughing fit. I managed to croak out, "water" and felt a cold glass being pressed to my lips. I drank it down greedily, and there was a rustle. I blinked and my vision finally cleared. I got a good look at Carlos and scrambled backwards, screaming. Cecil ran over and wrapped his arms around me.

"Shhhh, shhh, its not him, I promise, its Carlos, you're safe, I promise, shh," I started sobbing into Cecil's shoulder, and I felt another set of arms wrap around me and I knew it was Carlos. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, they wouldn't, they...they..." "Shh..." 

When I finally calmed down, Cecil and Carlos began patching me up. I had four broken ribs, cuts that would turn into scars, I was a royal mess. "No work for you you for a few days," Cecil said. I opened my mouth to argue, but his purple eyes glared into mine. "Okay," I gulped and hauled myself up, wincing a little from the pain.

Sleep didn't come easy, and when it did, it was filled with men baring Carlos' face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....the Desert Bluffs/Strex!Carlos in this chapter isn't specifically based on anything I have seen. I feel he's a mix of Sergio and Diego (go check out those cosplays, they are fabulous) and I didn't want to throw another name out there for an OC right now. He may come back, he may not. Just depends. Oh, and if you wanna follow me on Tumblr, I am http://promountains.tumblr.com/ and I love Night Vale to the inth degree. Thanks!


	6. Aftermath--Carlos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Spiders!

After we got Alec cleaned and bandaged up, we put her to bed. She looked better than she did, but it would be a long time before she would be completely healed. I knew about my double in Desert Bluffs, but I had still felt a sharp jab in the chest when Alec scrambled away from me in fear. I shook my head to clear the thought away, it wasn't fair to Alec to think that way. Cecil was back in the kitchen, cleaning up the make-shift emergency room. Suddenly, he stopped and looked up. 

"She has tattoos." "Yeah. I noticed them myself. Really interesting." Cecil turned to me and leaned against the counter. "That's why she wore long sleeves all the time. She didn't want them to be seen. But why?" I shrugged. "I do not know Cecil." 

 

In the middle of the night, Cecil and I were awoken by Alec screaming, as though from a nightmare. We ran down the hall, and she was curled up in a ball on her bed, crying. "I'll be honest when you'll be honest....I'll be honest when you'll be honest...." She was saying it over and over again, rocking back and forth, head on her knees. Cecil and I held her and waited until she had calmed down enough to sleep again. 

 

_I need to tell Cecil about the fact that Alec is his daughter soon, or otherwise this can get worse and worse. What happens if they kill her next time? Not that anyone has actually died from it, but knowing Strex, they could. And if it is Alec, unless someone other than me knows she is Cecil's, no one is going to do anything about it!_

I was stuck in my head all day and couldn't think straight. I was working with some spiders when Cecil and Alec came in. Alec wasn't back at the station, but she and Cecil had gone to get some stuff from the Ralph's. They came in and sat down behind me. "Hey, what are you working on?" Cecil asked. I turned around with one of the spider's in a jar. 

 

Alec started screaming, over turning her chair and backing away as fast as she could. " _Kill it! KILL IT!"_ she was screaming in German, over and over again. Cecil jogged over and picked her up and ran from my lab, Alec's screams echoing through the place.   
 Some of my fellow scientists poked their heads in. 

"Carlos, what is going on?" "I am not really sure...." 

 

Later, when I got home, Alec was fine. Cecil followed me to the back room and whispered. "Don't mention spiders and if you see one, kill it. They're triggering something for her and I have no idea what other that she starts screaming." I nodded and hoped Alec would be okay again soon.

 

As long as there were no spiders or even mention of spiders, Alec was her normal self. One day when she and Cecil (after she was back at work), I set spider traps through out the house, making sure that no spiders would set her off again. Cecil kept sending her on errands, trying to make sure that she didn't run into any spiders while in the station.  _Out of things in the world, why spiders?  I mean, spiders are scary to some people, but Alec was never scared of the before. Why make her fear them now??_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry this chapter is so short. I thank Mind_FulWrath for letting me borrow her spider idea. If you wanna know what that is specifically, go read her "The Assistant" series, featuring Marcus Vansten and Jake Lin, his PA, who are really really cute and amazing so go read!


	7. I Have a What?--Cecil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, this chapter. I'm just gonna say, it's gonna get emotional and graphic. Bad things happen to Alec to make Cecil and also Carlos angst. Sorry.

I heard singing coming from the kitchen and smelled bacon being cooked. I rolled over and glared at the alarm clock. 9:15 AM. I curled my lip and buried my head back under the covers, determined to sleep some more. But the smell of bacon soon got to me and I rolled out of bed, pulling a shirt on and slipping my glasses onto my face.

 

Carlos was at the stove and Alec was sitting on the counter, singing _In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed the seas. And he told us of his life in the land of submarines. So we sailed up to the sun, Till we found the sea of green, And we lived beneath the waves, In our yellow submarine. We all lived in a yellow-_ Morning Cecil!" Alec cut herself off and Carlos threw me a smile over his shoulder. 

 

"Morning sleepy head." I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled into his neck. "Did you purposely make bacon to wake me up?" I felt him chuckle deep in his chest. "Kind of, Alec wanted bacon for breakfast and I figured it would wake you up." I shook my head and went to the coffee maker, where Alec handed me a cup. I took a long gulp from it and smiled at her. Ever since the run in with Strex, she didn't hide her tattoos anymore and looked a lot more comfortable in the desert heat that she did previously. The lines looked a lot like mine, but I shrugged it off. Dark tattoos weren't uncommon and they looked nothing like mine, so there was no way they came from me. She smiled at me and I smiled back at her, her green eyes shining in the mid-morning sun. 

 

After a breakfast of pancakes and bacon, the three of us went to work, Carlos dropping Alec and I off at the station. We went in and Alec began pulling stories from the bulletin board. "John Peters announces influx on imaginary corn, the Ralph's has a new manager, Carlos and his team warn that there's a wild cactus running around, another reminder to make sure to mention StrexCorp in the show..." She handed me notes and papers, and I organized them into some form of order. I sent her to pick out the weather and sat at my desk, writing down notes for the day. Alec came in with a CD and handed it too me. "Beatles, Alec?" She shrugged and I smiled. "Specifically this song." She pointed at one and I nodded.  

 

"The night says hello, but the moon says good bye. Welcome to Night Vale." I did the show and saw Alec in the room next door, where she gave me a thumbs up when I played "All My Lovin'" The day was slow and normal (or as normal as Night Vale can be) and I ended the show with my usual "Good night, Night Vale, good night." I waited for the 'ON AIR' sign to go off, but it didn't.

 

Instead, a man with Carlos' face came into the studio, holding Alec by the neck and a gun to her head. 

 

"Hello Night Vale. I am one of the scientists at StrexCorp and I have an important announcement to make: We own Night Vale now." I looked at him in surprise and he smiled. Then the 'ON AIR' sign went out.

 

"You, Voice, lead the way to the basement." Alec was pulling at his arm, but was getting no where. "Go!" He snarled and jammed the gun farther into her head. I stood up and lead the way. As we passed the door, some suits dragged in the real Carlos. "Car-!" "Shush!" Alec let out a pained yelp as he threw her down the steps into the basement. I heard a sickening  _crack_ and she grabbed her shoulder, her face expressing extreme pain. Carlos' double marched down the steps and grabbed her by the arm she was favoring and unceremoniously threw her to the opposite wall. She crumbled and I went to run to her, only to get grabbed by a suit. "Let me go!" The man laughed and Carlos and I were soon strapped to two chairs, Alec whimpering in the background. 

"First order of business. I am Diego Strex. And this is how I get business done. I am going to ask questions, and you will give me the answers I want. Otherwise....well....Alexandria here gets hurt. Understand?" There was a rustling behind us and suddenly Alec was attacking the man, sparks flying from her finger tips. She was favoring her hurt arm, and for a second it looked like she was winning until I saw a needle flash and was stabbed into her neck. 

"Fuck, not again!" she snarled and sunk to the floor. Diego laughed and Alec flinched. "You....you were the one haunting my waking nightmares!" He laughed again. "Of course I was, sweetheart. I caused your torment the first time and now that your magic has been neutralized, you can't stop me." She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. 

 

"Question 1: Cecil, how did you become the Voice?" I started at the man, confused. "It has been so for a long time? It says I was meant to be the Voice on the tablets in City Hall?"

He smiled and I let out a sigh of relief. One bullet dodged. But when he smiled again, I knew more were coming.

 

                       -------------------------------------------------

Hours later, the floor slick with Alec's blood, as she cried out in pain and pleaded for him to stop. 

"One more question....for you....Miss Palmer." My head snapped up. Alec was shaking her head no, and his smile was filled with glass. "Miss...Palmer?" I whispered. Diego looked between me and Alec.

"You should have told him Alec!" Carlos suddenly snapped. "I was! But it never seemed like a good time!" "How about now!?" Diego said and picked her up by the throat. "Start talking."

 

"My name is Alexandria Gershwin Gomez Palmer, the illegitimate daughter of Maria Gomez and Cecil Palmer, Voice of Night Vale. I was born March 12th, 1996. When I was 4 years old I discovered I had magical powers, and when I was 13 these tattoos appeared. At 9 I invested in colored contacts to hide my true eye color from my mother and the world." "And what color are your eyes?" He growled, squeezing tighter. "P-purple!" He relaxed his grip and she slid down the wall, sucking in air. 

"So...what a wonderful family reunion." "Go to hell, Strex!" Alec and I both snapped. She was glaring at him. "I am just going to leave you three here for a few minutes." He walked up the stairs and the door slammed shut, with a followed  _click_ of the lock sliding into place. 

 

"Why didn't you tell me." "Because I didn't know how you would react and I was scared." I looked at her like I had been slapped in the face. "What!?" Alec's back was to me and she didn't turn around. "Look at me Alec!" She did and I saw fire in her eyes.

"All Mamá would talk about was how my father left when she told him she was pregnant with me, that was all that placed in my head for 13 years! When I found her college diary, I knew then I would have to find out for myself. But you didn't even know I existed, so how could you run out on her-on me!? You couldn't! And I was content to live here, knowing you, the real you, never letting you know who I actually was! But now....now it's too late!" She turned back around and started sobbing into her hands, her shoulders shaking. "Alec, I-" But what I was going to say was cut off by the door reopening. 

 

"So, now that's settled, I am going to take away your precious child, Palmer." Alec looked up and him and scrambled backwards until she hit mine and Carlos' legs. "What do you mean by that, Strex?" Carlos snarled. 

 

He smiled coolly. "Alec....there are an awful lot of spiders." 

 

The effect was instant. Alec was screaming, screaming in fear. "NOnononono! No, stay away from my head! No!!" She was flailing about, and I understood why she was suddenly afraid of spiders. "Alec? The Smiling God will protect you." 

Silence. 

Alec looked up and I saw a horrible smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Strex? How can I be of assistance?" "Come with me, Miss Palmer. Your magic is needed back in Desert Bluffs." She nodded and then seemed to notice that we were still there.

"Sir...why is the Voice of Night Vale and his Scientist down here?" "Because they needed to be taught a lesson. Now come along. Good bye!" Alec giggled and followed him out. The suits untied us but knocked out heads together, effectively knocking us out.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, Alec waited too late. And now she's under control of Strex! I'm not done with this, no way. Hehehe.


	8. Ch. 8: Flashbacks--Alec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A look into Alec's past.

_"Mamá? Where are we going?" "To your grandparents' house, Alexandria. You have magical powers and you must be taught how to use them. Otherwise bad things could happen." I nodded and just followed my mother like a good girl._   
_I had turned 4 not that long ago and had discovered I could move things without touching them, change the color of my room without painting them and a bunch of other things. I told Mamá about it, so she would know about it in case she saw me doing something I wasn't supposed to do._   
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  
_"Mamá, I wanna go home. I don't wanna be here any-" "Shut up! We are staying until you learn what you need to know! You stupid, ungrateful child!" I flinched and hung my head, avoiding eye contact. I didn't want to see her flinch at my eyes, my eyes that were apparently my father's, who left before I was born. Purple, shining, bright and intelligent. Unusual color, if what I read was any proof of that. I was 6 now, should be going school, but no. I had asked Mamá every month if we could go home, and every time it is the same answer. No. I was . stupid, and ungrateful and I wasn't ready to leave, not until I figured this out._   
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  
_"Happy birthday dear Alexandria, happy birthday to you!" My family sang and set a cake in front of me. I was 9, a fourth grader and was hosting some friends to celebrate. Mamá had been nice enough to let me have some friends, but only after grandmother had yelled at her, telling her that they needed to keep me happy, because now that I had complete power over my magic, I could easily take over the family, and that was not to happen. I blew out my candles and downed a piece of cake. I opened gifts, all ranging from clothes to video games._   
_\------------------------------_

  
_Later, a package arrived with my name on it. I took it and quietly went to my room. Opening it, I saw the green contacts I had ordered. I took out the instructions and carefully put one in. I blinked rapidl, waiting for it to disappear onto my eye. I looked in the mirror. One green, one purple. I put the other one in, and went down stairs._   
_"Mamá? Can I help clean up?" "Of course young one, could you put the cups in the dishwasher?" I moved my hand forward and hovered a pile of cups into the dishwasher, sorting them and moving them with ease. I smiled and turned back to my mother. She smiled at me, looked down, then her head snapped back up._   
_"Alexandria, are your eyes green?" I nodded and she smiled again, going back to her job._   
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  
_"Mamá? Mamá!?" I heard the front door open and I ran down the stairs, after her. "Mamá! Where are you going!?" "Away, Alexandria. Ever since your tattoos appeared, I knew. You aren't mine as much as I want you to be. You are more Night Valian than I realized. Your father would be proud, if he was around. Night Vale was always weird. And now it has made you into a complete freak!" I stopped and watched her get into a limo and it drove away._   
_\---------------------------------------------------------------_

  
_The tattoos kept growing. They had started at my shoulder blades and kept growing, until they stopped midforearm. They were dark purple, almost black. They looked like runes. I didn't know if they spelled anything, but I liked them all the same._   
_My grandmother had picked me up and had lite up when she saw the tattoos. "Perfect....this is proof of the man who is your father. You are half-Gomez, half...." She trailed off, whispering. I caught the tail end, "Palmer.....of Night Vale," I looked at her. She coughed and looked at me. "You're half Night Valian, Alec. You should be very proud. Even if your father was a piece of work. Left your mother, when she was five months pregnant, can you believe it?" I swallowed, and didn't tell my grandmother I had found my mother's college diary and had read it and knew that she had sought out my father and never told him I was even existant. Cecil Palmer. My full name was Alexandria Gershwin Gomez Palmer._   
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  
_"Next stop, Night Vale." I grabbed my bag from the rack above me. Time to find my father._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, cause writting flashbacks was more difficult than I expected. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9: Daemon Irrepit Callidus--Carlos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something has happened to Alec. And now Cecil and Carlos get to see just what exactly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks for reading!

 

After Alec had been taken, Cecil wasn't the same. "Why didn't you tell me? You're my boyfriend!" "She asked me not to! I thought she would have told you by now!" He glared at me, his purple eyes darkening. I wasn't going to argue with him about it, because right now we needed to get Alec back.

  
"Ceec, I know you're angry and hurt, but right now we need to figure out how to get her back. With Strex controlling her, she could easily take down this whole town. She is that strong. But how did she get that way?"

  
"She's mine, Carlos. I don't remember her mother, but I do remember she stuck around a lot, and there is a day from college that is a complete blank to me. I remember going to the game because I was the announcer, and going to classes Monday morning, but I do not remember the Sunday in between. You asked me once, Carlos, where in the world I got my Voice. I am a daemon. I traded my soul for my Voice and then I was trained to be a daemon. Having a child with magical powers, a warlock child, is not that uncommon. She looks like her mother....but she is me. I can see it now. Purple eyes. The tattoos, her singing voice is incredible, but it isn't like my Voice. Not questioning Night Vale....how could I have missed it?" He appeared....sad....his Voice was soft and his eyes downcast, and he was curled in on himself. I reached out a hand and gently touched his shoulder.   
"We are gonna get her back, Cecil. We have to. She is your child and damnit, I feel protective of her. She's _ours_." I declared and Cecil's head snapped up, peering at me. "You...you claim her?" "As long as you do, then I say she is ours. To hell with her mother, she did horrible things to her. The whole family did, Cecil, she was so upset by it she didn't want to talk about it." Cecil suddenly growled.

  
"If I ever see her mother, I will make sure she pays for everything she did to Alec!" His eyes and tattoos began to glow, purple light emancing from his body. I stepped back in complete awe. "Ceec...what are you doing?" But somehow, I knew what he was doing. He was about to unlock all of his daemon powers, for Strex had taken his little girl and now they were going to pay. 

After a few weeks, Cecil had managed to get control over his daemon powers. He had never compeltely let them free, but for this we figured it would be a good idea. If I wasn't sure Alec was his, there wasn't a doubt anymore. Now that he had unlocked his full daemon powers, he had almost the exact same atmosphere around him, one of power and grace.

  
"I don't know why you call it that, Carlos, we're both rather clumsy," Cecil commented one morning when I pointed it out to him. I chuckled and kissed his temple. "Because you are my clutz, and after we get Alec back, she will be my clutz junior." He laughed, which was a welcome sound, his velvet voice filling the air.

  
There was sudden explosion across the street. Cecil and I looked at each other, before hurrying out of the house. Sprinting down the block, there were more and more explosions, people screaming in terror. One Night Valian ran by, screaming "Help! The she-devil is alive!!" Cecil and I shared a look, one of dread and the other of worry. We kept running, turning the corner-"Alec!?" Cecil cried.

  
The young woman turned around, and glared at us. I took a step forward, shoving Cecil behind my back and curling an arm around him protectively. "Alec....what happened to you?"

  
She looked very different. It had only been a little over three weeks since she had gone missing, and yet....if she hadn't turned around, I would've denied that it was her. "Oh, hello Dad, Uncle Carlos," her voice was like knives on glass, instead of soft velvet, like her father's, "I see you're still alive." Her hair was straightened, pulled back into a pony tail, held by a gold ribbon. She wore a black button down shirt, black skirt, gold heels, and a gold tie, held down by a StrexCorp tie pin. In her ears was the triangle of Strex and her eyes...."Alec, what happened to your eyes?"

  
"She's been reeducated, Dr. Saber, and she decided that she didn't like her purple eyes. So, she now wears yellow contacts. And she is now my prodegé." I turned and there was Diego Strex, walking toward us, gold gun in hand. Alec smiled, full of knives and held out a hand to Diego. "Come, mi amor, we have work to do," she said wistfully, red lips parted. Diego smirked and took her hand. "Yes we do. Starting with the radio station," He kissed her cheek and they walked towards the station. Cecil's eyes widened and he took off after them.

  
I followed suit, knowing that this wasn't Alec...this was Strexed Alec.

 

Cecil was always fast, but with his daemon powers unlocked, he was very fast and I could hardly keep up. Alec was still walking with her hand in Diego's, the two of them laughing at the fear descending on the town. Alec swept her hand in front of her and five cars went flying through the air. Her maniac laugh filled the air, Diego laughing along with her. They passed Big Rico's, passed by my lab and Diego was gently pulling Alec towards it. My eyes went wide and I charged after them. 

"Alec! Don't do this! This isn't you!" I shouted as I managed to get in front of them. Cecil had kept going to the station, wanting to put it on lock down before his reeducated daughter and her apparent boyfriend showed up. Alec curled her lip.

"You don't know if this is me or not, Uncle Carlos," I raised an eyebrow. "And how do I not know if this is you or not? You've been staying with Cecil and I for about seven months, Alec. We know you. And we love you." She blinked a few times and for a moment, it looked like I had gotten through to her. But...

"No! You know nothing! Night Vale needs to be saved, Uncle Carlos! The Smiling God it here to save Night Vale! And in order for it to do so, I am here to get rid of anything that stands in its way! Like your lab and Dad's station! They are stopping the Smiling God from coming through! This is not okay! Night Vale will be saved! And I will do it!"

She turned and threw her hand forward, dark fire bursting forth. I jumped out of the way, watching the lab catch fire. I heard screams from inside as my team of scientists came running from the building. "Carlos! There are flammable chemicals in there!" "Oh? Good! This is will make this job a lot easier!" Alec laughed and set more fire upon the building.

Diego pulled her to him and kissed her, hands on her lower back. He opened his eyes to give me a knowing look before closing them again. I felt sick to my stomach and went running to the station.

"Cecil! Cecil, where are you!?" "Over here!" I ran to his booth. "Alec's lost it, she just set my lab on fire." "I know....I saw. Apparently with unlocking my daemon powers came being able to see all and know all. But only when I concentrate." I looked at him and saw that, since the last time I had seen him, a new tattoo had appeared on his forehead, in the shape of an eye. I padded over to him and pulled him to me. "She's coming here next. I don't know what she is going to do exactly, but she was going on about 'the Smiling God will have Night Vale' and 'I will be the one to make sure it happens.' I am scared, Ceec."

He nodded into my neck. "We'll get her back. We have to. She is  _ours_." I leaned back a little and pulled Cecil's face up. He looked at me with his beautiful purple eyes and I kissed him, pulling him close. His hands moved to my hair and tangled themselves within, as my tongue slipped past his lips and into his eagerly waiting mouth. Soon, I had him on the desk, his shirt undone and his legs around my waist, as I licked hot striped up his chest. He was withering and moaning underneath me, he Voice catching and breaking beautifully. I knew it was probably the wrong time to be doing this, but I didn't care.

There was a metallic bang and I knew that Diego and Alec had arrived.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. Alec and Diego? Hehehehe, I am not done with Alec yet.


	10. Introducing Daddy Daemon Cecil--Cecil

I turned as Alec and Diego entered the station. Alec was glowing a red-purple and I was afraid of what I was going to have to do. "Alec. My Alec, why are you doing this?" She stopped mid-stride and I know something had registered. Diego came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her, as though protecting her from harm. He whispered in her ear and she shook herself, eyes hardening and her back straightened like a soldier's. She didn't reply, instead she raised her hand, purple and blue sparks falling from her fingertips.

"I would say I am sorry, but you left me and Mamá behind, left when I was still in her womb. I came to find you as to not make peace with you, but to destroy you. This town needs a Voice, yes, but it will be Kevin, not you. I am  _not_ sorry for what I am going to do. You don't deserve this life, you don't even deserve Uncle Carlos. And you're a filthy daemon, who needs to be sent back to the Void. You think you know pain? You know nothing of it. And why? Because when I needed you to be there, you weren't there and now this is what you get for leaving!"  _  
_

I stared at her, heart heavy. "I would've been there....if I had known. Alec, I did-"

"You did know! Mamá told you and you left us! She wanted you to stay around, wanted you to help raise me, to help make sure I would grow up in Night Vale, where I would be excepted as normal, instead of a freak like I was!" I flinched, but knew in my heart that it wasn't true. Strex must have made it so she believed that the lies she grew up with were the truth and not what she discovered as the truth. "Alec....my sweet sweet Alec. What have they done to you?" I lamented. 

"I reminded her of the truth," Diego said and smiled widely. Carlos suddenly charged him, changing into a massive brown furred dog with gold eyes. Diego's eyes widened and he too changed into a dog, black fur and red eyes. They went rolling away, growling and snarling, teeth bared. Alec turned for a second, obviously looking to make sure Diego was okay. That's when my tentacles snapped out and snagged her. Her head snapped back to look at me, teeth bared, and she snarled, "Let me go!" I shook my head, wrapping them tighter around her. "Not until we get you out of this reeducated by Strex nonsense taken care of!" 

Alec's tattoos suddenly heated up, white hot, making me drop her. She rolled into her landing, kicking her heels off. "I don't want to hurt you!" I hissed at her.

"That'll make my job easier then!" She growled. She charged me, throwing her hand to the side and blowing a wall out. I hit the deck, covering my head with my hands and the rest of my body with tentacles. I scrambled back up when I heard Alec get closer. Without the heels, she was a head shorter than me, something she must have gotten from her mother. I raised my hands, trying to get her to listen. "Alec..." 

Both hands came flying forward, sparks flying, knocking me into the wall. "I thought if I came here, I could meet you and find out that you were different, different from the lies I was told! But no! You are the same! You don't care about anyone but yourself! Uncle Carlos deserves better than what you have given him! He does! You are the most disgusting man I have ever met in my life, and I don't know why I dared to think you would claim me as your own!" She snapped her fingers and darkness enveloped me.

                       -------------------------------------

I awoke later, tied to another chair. I could hear soft snoring behind me. They murmured, "Science....", causing me to roll my eyes. "Carlos, wake up! Wake up!" I rocked my chair back into his, jolting him awake.

"Huh?" "Wake up, I think we are in Strex HQ. What happened to you?" I heard Carlos gulp and sigh. "Diego got me with a dark gun. One shot and I was out like a light. Quite pathetic actually." He chuckled and I felt him shake his head at himself. "What about you?"

"She casted a spell of some kind, but whatever it was it was strong. I couldn't fight it off and supposedly daemons aren't able to get spelled by warlocks. Well, either that was wrong or my daughter is very fucking powerful."

"I would go with the latter, Ceec. She is insanely powerful. Are you sure she got it all from you?" "I really don't know. I thought that being half and half would maybe make it less so, but she is way stronger than that."

We lapsed into silence, leaning against each other for support, listening to the other breathe. It would have been nice if the situation wasn't so horrendous.

 

The door suddenly slammed open and Alec came running in, a panicked look on her face. "Dad! Dad!" She grabbed my shirt, shaking. "They made me....forget....not....me. Don't listen...get out...go..."

"Alec! There are an awful lot of spiders!" Alec suddenly snapped back into how she was. Back straight, eyes hard and hands clasped behind her back. I watched her leave and felt a sinking feeling in my chest.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kinda have this idea that werewolves can become huge massive dogs when they want too. I know that is really not original myth folk, but I don't like the idea of Carlos not having this ability except once a month. Oh, and now Cecil has tentacles.


	11. Strexed--Alec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter from Strexed Alec's POV. Enjoy!

  
I was happy. I am happy. I didn't realize how happy being a Strex worker made me. Diego was great, he doted on me and made sure I was eating. I had stopped eating again for awhile. I hadn't done that since I was 15 and thought I wasn't pretty enough. He made sure I didn't even over work, which was what Strex did- We worked and smiled the biggest smiles on the planet. Everyday I gave tribute to the Smiling God, offering everything I could so he would continue to bless the wonderful town of Desert Bluffs.

  
"Alec, my sunshine, are you still working?" I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing there. "I-yes. Yes amor. I was looking at some ritual spells to make sure that when we eventually take over Night Vale, nothing will get in our way. Not even my own father can defeat me now. I am the most powerful warlock on the planet. Nothing is going to stop us now. I want them to know just how much my family was right, so they will never question it again. I will show them all!" Lightning split the sky and it suddenly began to rain.

  
Diego smiled and pulled me to him, his arm wrapping around me, making sure I was close. "I know you will. You deserve all the happiness in the world and I intend to give it to you. You will never have a reason to be sad again. Just don't forget to take your meds sunshine." I buried my face into his shoulder, blinking as my contacts suddenly blurred.

  
_......Alec, wake up...wake up....this isn't you....wake up........_

  
I blinked again and raised my head to look Diego in the eye. "Amor....kiss me? I need to stop the buzzing in my head...." His lips met mine, pushing away all the dark thoughts filling my head.

  
Kissing Diego was like eating forbidden chocolate and every taste just made me want more. Diego pulled the gold ribbon holding my hair back out, making it gather around my shoulders, his fingers tangling themselves within my long hair. He tipped my head back and his mouth went to my neck. A gentle bite, causing me let out a gasp. He chuckled low in his throat and bit me again. "Diego..." I whispered.

  
"Hm?" "I...please..." I suddenly found myself against the wall, Diego holding me up and my legs around his waist. His mouth was at my neck again, biting and licking, just above the gold collar I had been given to wear once Diego got all the paper work done. He had made it himself, so his brothers wouldn't mess with me in any way.  
"How are you so beautiful and so willing...." He murmurred, setting me down. Only to pull off my gold tie and start unbottoning my black shirt, exposing my torso. Diego just smiled a slow lazy grin when he saw my black bra. I shrugged the shirt off and waved my hand at the door, the locks sliding into place. I snapped my fingers and the lights dimmed.

  
_.....Alec....wake up....this isn't you....wake up....._

  
I ignored the fluttering in the back of my head, instead focusing on Diego.

  
\--------------------------------

  
I awoke in my bed, the blankets pulled over me. Diego was gone, but a note was on my night stand, saying he had been called to another meeting with the family. I cured back up and sighed, the black sheets setting around me. The bed smelled of sex and Diego's calonge. I sat up and got up, pulling my clothes back on. The fluttering was gone, my mind was clear again. Nothing there, other than my Strex approved thoughts. I walked out to my desk, pulling up more papers to work on and made sure to finish the proper paperwork to have Diego look at my collar, as even though he was the one to make it, he had to file that he worked on it.

  
I got through several transcripts of requests for more reeducation and then a request to have more Strex approved jumpsuits for when we took over Night Vale. I had approved it, but was rather worried that the amount of jumpsuit requests I was getting was getting higher and higher by the day. Diego was running around like a chicken with his head cut-off. I was worried he wasn't getting enough rest. Earlier, Strex had brought in the Voice of Night Vale and his Scientist.

  
I still could not believe I thought the Voice actually cared.

  
_ALEC_

  
My head snapped up. "Daddy..." I pushed back from the desk and ran from the room, stopping long enough to take my heels off. I stopped for a second when i saw the Strex family. One, with a long braid over his shoulder opened his mouth but I threw my hand forward, shouting something in my old language. The family was scattered and I took off again. I didn't know where I was going though. When I skidded around a corner, I picked up a scientist by the lapels, shoving them into the wall.

  
"Where are my fathers!?" I snarled, raising my hand, fire leaping from my hand.

  
"Floor 3, hall A, cell 123!" They shuddered and then gasped when I dropped them. I thanked my stars that I still knew where things were from my brief stint as a worker. I heard shouting behind me, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. I had to get Dad and Carlos out of here. I threw my hand behind me and some of the wall collapsed, debris falling and blocking the way.

  
I took the stairs, running up them, silent as a mouse. I was forcing myself to breath normally, even when running. Floor 3.

  
I pushed open the doors and recoiled at the sound. Screams and the like, grating over my ears. I threw up a shield to drown it out. Ouch...that hurts the ears. I scurried down the hall, trying to find the correct hall. I could hear shouting and threw a spell at random back at them. I heard a female scream. I got either Divina or Jezzabell, lovely. Hall A.  
1....2.....3....running faster, feet hitting the ground. I heard the clicking of shoes behind me, getting closer. Fuck fuck fuck, I turned and snarled "Hell fire!" Walls were blow open and captured folks were freed. 99.....100....101....I skidded around a corner, sliding into the wall. I hissed out a pained breath. That was my bad shoulder too. 121....122....123!  
I raised my hands, the door unlocking and swinging open.

 

  
I don't remember what happened after that.

  
\----------------------------

  
I woke up in Diego's lab again, brain fuzzy. "D-Diego...?"

  
"I'm here sunshine. Are you alright?" "I...I don't know....what happened to me?" Diego came into my line of sight.  
"You snapped. Went crazy and tried to let the Voice of Night Vale and his Scientist go. Don't worry though, we stopped them and I know you weren't in your right mind. My brothers and little Jezzy were all for making your reeducation segment more painful, but I told them that sometimes magic doesn't know what is good for it, so it'll argue with it. I know you have enough reeducation to make sure that you know that your magic doesn't get it. But soon you'll be able to get complete control over it, and then we can continue the take over of Night Vale. Soon the Smiling God will be everywhere!" I smiled and lightning split the sky outside.

  
\----------------------------

  
I was standing in the middle of the circle, gold chalk covering my hands and my sleeves. Sigals were all over the floor, but they weren't making sense. Outside, there was a bad storm, looking like the storm just before tornadoes back home. I looked back at my book, and at the symbols on the floor. Everything was in place, but it wasn't right. I knew it wasn't but I could not figure it out. This didn't make sense, the symbols are right, they are in the right place, but it wasn't right! How is it not right!?  
 _No no no no no, why isn't this right? I know this spell backwards and forwards, why isn't it working!?_ I snarled and left the circle.  
Or tried. When I tried to leave, the sigals glowed bright red and I was stopped. _NO! NO, I can not be trapped, this isn't a Devil's Trap, nor am I a daemon, no!_ I slammed my hands against the sides of hardened air. NO! "Diego!!!" I screamed, "Diego!!"

  
The sigals changed to a brilliant purple and white-searing pain went through my head.


	12. The Wicked Cometh--Carlos

  
When I came to, I was on the floor, pain searing through my left side. I let out a groan, hissing, "Cecil? Are you here?" We had been taken in after Alec had a moment of clarity. Cecil was taken long before I was, but he wasn't back before I was taken. There was a soft grunt off to the right side.

  
"'M here...e'erything hurts...." I made myself sit up and crawled over to my boyfriend. He had a nasty cut on his cheek and there were white lines covering his tattoos. I gently picked him up and leaned him against me. His breath hissed out, causing me to mutter "sorry" in his ear.

  
"S'okay...you weren't here when I got back...I didn't hear them bring you back." I wrapped my good arm around him carefully, not wanting to aggrevate his wounds. "They took me a long time after they took you. I have no idea how long I was out, nor how long I was with them. They didn't bother to try and reeducate me, they said they would wait until after Night Vale was offically taken over, so we would know the pain of seeing the town be changed." Cecil stiffened, only to gasp in pain. "Easy babe, don't hurt yourself, they did that well enough on their own."

  
"Alec needs to come back...she can stop this." I buried my nose in his hair, the coppery smell of blood filling my nostrils. He leaned into me, his head falling onto my shoulder. "She can make sure Strex doesn't get what they want, but she has to break free. What we saw was her magic starting to fight back." I didn't say anything, for magic isn't my area of expertise.

  
The door suddenly flew open. "Put her in here, the family isn't going to like this." A suit said.

  
" _Tel em og! Mucs!_ "

  
"Oh for the love of the Smiling God! Make sure that braclet is on tight, it will keep her down. And they didn't remove the collar, which is going to help a great deal."

  
" _No! Fuck no!_ " Cecil and I glanced at each other. Was that...? It was German, mixed with magic undertones. The suit holding the door open suddenly buckled, but got right back up.

  
"Enough!" A hand came out, and we flinched at the sound of skin meeting skin. "This is what you wanted, to rejoin the Night Vale scum, so join them!" Four came in and threw a figure into the wall. They crashed into it, only to get back up and streak for the door.

  
" _Stoidi, snorom!_ " They screamed, but it slammed shut before they could get to the door. "Fuck! This isn't the end Strex! I know what you did to me! And this is why you don't mess with a warlock! I am not done with you yet!" It was then they let out a yelp and a hand snapped to their neck. "Fuck..." They dropped to the floor and leaned against the door.

  
"One more thing," a voice came from the speakers built into the walls. "Welcome home, Miss Palmer. I hope this reunion is tasteful."

  
" _Ll'uoy yap rof siht!_ " The voice laughed and cut off.

  
"Alec?" Cecil whispered, not wanting to believe it.

  
"Dad." She shakily stood up and walked over to us. The one bulb in the room casted shadows over her face, making her look haunted. Her eyes were once again purple, not being covered by the gold contacts. There was a scratch on her cheek, that looked like it was going to scar. Her hair was still long, but now the ribbon that held it back was gone and it gathered around her shoulders and I saw the slight curl. The black shirt she was wearing was torn, her tattoos standing out on her now pale skin.

  
"Gold chalk?" Cecil asked, confusion in his Voice. Alec looked down, looking ashamed before sitting in front of us.

  
"I remember...I was trying to do a ritual, one I know backwards and forwards, I could do it in my sleep. But it wasn't working. Somehow it became a Devil's Trap, but it was trapping me, not a daemon, and I couldn't get out. There was a searing pain in my head and it reversed my Strex reeducation. Diego and the family came in just as the sigals and my circle changed from gold to purple, my usual casting color. They knew then I was back to normal. It took ten suits to get me down long enough for the one with the braid and gloves to get something in me so I couldn't fight."

  
"It took ten of them to hold you down? Impressive." Cecil praised and I nodded in agreement. I knew Cecil was anxious to make sure that when this was done, he was able to make sure nothing happened to his daughter again. Alec brightened at her father's praise, her purple eyes getting some of their gleam back.  
"Alec, I wish I had known you were born. I may not be the best father figure in the world, but I do love you and I promise you won't ever be alone again."

  
"Dad...." Alec was crying now and she threw herself into his arms. "Daddy..." I hesitated a moment, then Alec looked at me over Cecil's shoulder.  
"Come on, Papí. You're in this too," She whispered, causing me to hug her and Cecil.

That night the three of us managed to find a way to sleep, Alec between us so she got the most warmth.

" _Kcab ffo, ro eid_ _!_ " I sat up, awakened by Alec's screaming. She was standing, feet spread, arms out, her hands in odd shapes. Cecil sat up and looked at her.

" _Cela! Mlac nwod!_ " Okay I at least knew Alec's name.

  
" _Licec! Yeht tsum yap!_ " Now I am lost. I really need to learn this language these two speak before I go crazy.

  
Alec was standing over us, arms out and that's when I saw the suits in the doorway. Purple sparks were fluttering around her fingers and I saw the bracelet she had been wearing the night before was on the floor, broken and blakened. Her tattoos were glowing, making it hard to look at her. Cecil was looking at her, eyes wide.

  
"Come on, show us what you can do," He whispered. Alec threw her hands forward and dark fire came spirialing out, hitting the front two suits in the chest. They caught on fire and they tried scrambling away, but Alec snarled something, incasing them in ice. The others exchanged a look, and rushed her. Alec's weight shifted and flipped, grabbing the wrist of one of them, using her momentum to bring him over her shoulder and into another suit.

  
She moved gracefully and swiftly, effectivly taking down the suits. Her tattoos blurred together and looked liked wings. She knocked heads together, dislocated shoulders and broke knees.

  
When she was done, she stood there, fists clentched in front of her. Alec was breathing hard, but she did so well. Then she jolted and fell to the ground.

  
"Naughty naughty Alec, you should know by now that you can't defeat us. You still have that collar on, and we still control it. So," Diego pulled out a black remote and hit a button. Alec's collar beeped and a red light started blinking. "You have 10 minutes. All of our collared workers do." I felt my stomach drop, Cecil shouted "NO!" and Alec fell to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would you do with your last 10 minutes? Hm?
> 
> The translation of the language Alec is speaking (I don't have a name for it, will take suggestions)  
> >>Let me go! Scum> Idiots, morons!>You'll pay for this!>Back off, or die!>Alec! Calm down!>Cecil! They must pay!


	13. 10 Minutes--Cecil

  
Ten minutes. The light on Alec's collar was blinking faster now. She looked at me.

  
"Daddy....Daddy, I-I-I," She broke down and started crying and I rushed to her, Carlos right behind me. "Shh...shh...It's okay, shh..." She sobbed into my shoulder, voice hiccuping.

  
"I should have told you, sooner, who I was. That way you would have know. But I was a coward." I shushed her some more, holding her tightly.

  
"Alec, you are loved, you are so loved. I am so proud of you, I don't know why I wasn't included in your life, but I am glad I know you, the real you." Carlos looked at her and said somethings in German, all of which went over my head. She smiled for a second before crying again.

  
_**Five Minutes** _

  
We all jumped. Alec looked helpless, more helpless than I had ever seen her before. She looked....13, not 18. I realized with a start she had never really lived, hoping to gain something when she found me. Her family had treated her horribly and now she was going to die....because of Night Vale. Because of Strex.  
I had a momentary anger, which died quickly.

  
_**Two Minutes** _

  
Carlos and I wrapped our arms around her and she was shaking. Shivering as though cold. "Alec...we love you....." Carlos said the same in German.  
"I love you two too. I will remember you. Always." She suddenly lifted her head and smiled, and looked like the girl I met 7 months ago. She grabbed my hand tightly. She started singing softly. 

_I think we're haunted_   
_I can hear the echoes of the past_   
_thought I could forgive you_   
_but it's funny how long this pain can last_

_I think we're haunted_   
_and I would give anything to forget_   
_and give you what you've wanted_   
_so I can stop living in regret_

  
_my heart is wilting_

_I can feel it_

_I have never felt so…_

Her collar suddenly beeped and she stiffened. "Alec?" Her eyes went blank and she went limp in my arms. Her mouth went slack, hand slipping from mine. Carlos felt for a pulse, shaking his head. Tears welled up in my eyes and I reached over and closed her eyes. "Good night, Alec. Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyric credit to Maya Kern "Haunted"  
> I felt it was appropriate for this chapter.


	14. Death--Alec

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death is weird....

_My heart is wilting_   
_I can feel it_   
_I have never felt so..._

  
_Lights dotted my vision and I was suddenly floating, gently, swaying, hearing music around me. I felt light as a feather, but was confused as to why I was feeling things. Aren't I dead? I asked myself. I only had ten mintues left when Diego pressed the button on the remote and felt something peirce my neck when the ten minutes was up._   
_I am dead. I knew I was. Nothing else could explain why I was feeling what I was feeling, but I shouldn't be feeling things..._

  
_Time was weird when you're dead. I swear its only been a few minutes, but at the same time, its been centuries since I died. But....shouldn't Dad and Papí be here by now? I don't know, maybe Night Vale has different God's...oh wait. Dad's a daemon, he can't die and Papí is on Death's List and he can't die until Death says he can_

  
_Surely Dad and Papí gave me a nice funeral, even though we were only a family for a little while. They were the best dads anyone could ask for. I wish I had tried to come to Night Vale earlier, but I was so afriad. I was afraid Dad wouldn't love me or except me, and he did the exact opposite of what I feared! I loves...loved? me. And Papí never questioned it, he accepted me as his own too!_

  
_Mamá would hate to see me now, for she never wanted me to know the things I discovered dIf I came back to life would I become a necromancer? Or would I just be a zombie? I have no idea, no one writes books on being dead, because, well, they're dead._

  
Alec...come back....

  
_I mean, even if I was given the option to come back to life, would I? I had a good...ish...life and I wouldn't change anything. Well, okay I would change not getting reeducated by Diego. And, ugh, gross, I slept with him! If I was alive I would take an acid bath!_

_No...I'd go back...cause I want Dad and Papí too get the next 1800 years of my life....assuming I'd live that long._

  
_I was floating, softly, gently and I could feel myself slowly reaching a point where I couldn't go back._

  
_This is the choice, this is the point of no return!_

  
_ I wavered. Do I slip fully into Death or do I fight? _

_Darkness clinged to my limbs. I closed my "eyes"...._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, lyrics for "Haunted" belong to Maya Kern and the brief "Point of No Return" belongs to Andrew Loyd Weber.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank You for reading! First time writing for this fandom, but kudos and constructive comments are welcome!


End file.
